False reviews, competitor attacks and damaging allegations can affect customer confidence, revenue and important commercial relationships. Nath Solicitors is a boutique London law firm advising companies, business owners, directors and professionals on business defamation and commercial reputation disputes in England and Wales.
If your business is facing a serious reputation threat, call 020 3983 8278 or complete our online contact form to discuss the available options.
We act in disputes involving Google and Trustpilot reviews, competitor attacks, LinkedIn campaigns, social media publications, anonymous websites, false regulatory allegations, former employees and other publications capable of damaging commercial standing.
Our role is to assess the legal position, identify the source and scale of the publication, examine evidence of commercial harm and develop a proportionate strategy. That may involve removal requests, legal correspondence, negotiated undertakings, litigation or urgent court action.
What is business defamation?
A company can bring a defamation claim where the relevant legal requirements are met.
Section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 sets a higher threshold for a body trading for profit. Harm to its reputation will not amount to serious harm for the purposes of the Act unless the publication has caused, or is likely to cause, serious financial loss.
This means a company considering a defamation claim needs to examine more than the language used against it. The likely or actual commercial impact of the publication can be central to the case.
Evidence may include:
- lost customers or contracts;
- cancelled appointments, orders or bookings;
- reduced enquiries or sales;
- communications from concerned customers;
- lost business opportunities;
- damage to supplier or investor relationships; and
- other evidence connecting the publication with actual or likely financial loss.
The assessment will depend on the circumstances, including what was alleged, who received the statement, how widely it circulated and the commercial position of the business.
For broader guidance on defamation law, see our defamation, reputation management and privacy solicitors page.
What types of allegations can damage a business?
Commercial reputation disputes can arise when a publication falsely alleges that a company:
- acts dishonestly or fraudulently;
- provides unsafe or defective products;
- delivers poor or negligent services;
- breaches professional or regulatory standards;
- deceives customers;
- engages in unlawful business practices;
- mistreats employees or customers;
- lacks financial stability; or
- cannot be trusted to fulfil its commercial obligations.
A negative statement is not automatically defamatory. Businesses can be criticised, and customers are entitled to express genuine opinions.
The distinction between an allegation of fact and an expression of opinion can be legally significant. Depending on the circumstances, potential defences can include truth, honest opinion and publication on a matter of public interest.
The fact that an allegation is damaging or unwelcome does not by itself make it unlawful.
What will a business defamation solicitor assess?
Before recommending legal action, we consider both the publication itself and its commercial impact.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
- the exact words, images or allegations complained of;
- what those words are likely to mean to an ordinary reader;
- whether the business or individual is identifiable;
- where, when and to whom the allegation was published;
- whether the publication has been repeated or shared elsewhere;
- whether the claimant is a company, director, business owner or professional;
- evidence of serious harm or, for a body trading for profit, serious financial loss;
- potential defences such as truth, honest opinion or publication on a matter of public interest;
- whether malicious falsehood or another cause of action may also be relevant;
- the identity and location of the publisher;
- the applicable limitation period; and
- the commercial result the client needs to achieve.
A strong legal argument does not automatically mean that immediate public action is the best response. We also consider whether intervention is likely to reduce the harm or unintentionally give the allegation a wider audience.
False Google and Trustpilot reviews
Online reviews can have a direct connection with purchasing decisions, enquiries and customer confidence.
A genuine negative review does not become unlawful simply because a business disagrees with it. A different position may arise where a review contains false factual allegations, comes from someone who was never a customer, uses multiple false identities or forms part of a campaign intended to damage a business.
Nath Solicitors has acted for businesses and professionals targeted through false Google and Trustpilot reviews.
Our work may involve examining whether the reviewer can be identified, preserving the publication, submitting an appropriate platform complaint and contacting the publisher where legal action is justified.
Platform rules and the legal position are not necessarily the same. A review may breach a platform’s policies without amounting to actionable defamation, while potentially defamatory material may not always fall clearly within a platform’s own removal rules.
Where an anonymous account is involved, see our guidance on anonymous posts and online attacks.
Competitor attacks and malicious falsehood
Commercial disputes sometimes involve a competitor publishing false material about another company’s products, services or business activities.
Potential examples include false claims concerning product quality, safety, regulatory compliance, pricing, professional standards or the legitimacy of a business.
Depending on the facts, malicious falsehood may need to be assessed alongside defamation.
Malicious falsehood is a distinct cause of action from defamation. Broadly, it concerns false statements published maliciously which cause, or in circumstances covered by section 3 of the Defamation Act 1952 are calculated to cause, pecuniary damage.
The Supreme Court considered section 3(1) and the financial-loss principles applying to malicious falsehood in George v Cannell [2024] UKSC 19.
A malicious falsehood claim has different elements from a defamation claim. Establishing that a statement is inaccurate is not enough on its own. The circumstances of publication, malice and the relevant financial consequences require careful examination.
Some commercial reputation cases may support more than one legal cause of action. We assess which claims, if any, are supported by the evidence rather than treating defamation and malicious falsehood as interchangeable.
Social media attacks against businesses
Commercial allegations can spread through LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit and other platforms.
A publication may start on one service before appearing through screenshots, reposts, comments and discussion elsewhere.
Our dedicated social media defamation and reputation recovery solicitors page explains the legal and practical issues arising from social-media publications in greater detail.
For a company, the commercial significance of a publication does not necessarily depend on very large viewing figures. Material reaching a relatively small number of important customers, suppliers, investors, employees or professional contacts can still have serious consequences.
False complaints to customers, suppliers or regulators
Commercial reputation disputes are not limited to material published publicly online.
A person may send allegations directly to customers, professional contacts, suppliers, investors, regulators or professional bodies.
Such communications require analysis in their proper context. Relevant issues can include what was said, who received it, whether the allegations were presented as fact or opinion and whether any legal defence or protection may apply.
Complaints to regulators, professional bodies or other recipients can raise additional issues concerning privilege, public-interest protections and other potential defences. A damaging complaint is not automatically actionable simply because the allegations are disputed.
Where allegations are made by a current or former employee, employment rights, whistleblowing protections or confidentiality issues may also need to be considered alongside any reputation claim.
Businesses should resist the temptation to send an aggressive response before the legal position has been assessed. Correspondence created during the dispute may later form part of the evidence.
What should a business do after discovering damaging material?
1. Preserve the publication
Keep evidence before material can be changed or removed. Record URLs, account details, dates, screenshots and relevant engagement data.
Our guide on what to do if you are being defamed contains further information about evidence preservation.
2. Record evidence of commercial impact
Keep records of lost enquiries, cancelled work, customer communications and other changes that may be connected with the publication.
This can be particularly relevant to the serious financial loss requirement applying to bodies trading for profit.
3. Identify how far the material has spread
Check whether the allegation has appeared on other platforms, review websites or discussion forums.
Identify customers, suppliers, investors, employees or other commercial contacts who may have received it directly.
4. Avoid amplifying the allegation
A public response may expose the accusation to people who had not previously seen it.
The commercial effect of responding should therefore be considered alongside the legal merits.
5. Identify the result the business needs
The objective may be removal, a correction, an apology, an undertaking against repetition, compensation or an end to a wider campaign.
The strategy can then be developed around that commercial objective.
6. Obtain advice before contacting the publisher
An immediate response may sometimes be appropriate, but poorly judged correspondence can increase publicity, complicate the evidence or weaken the business’s position.
Where the allegation is serious, legal advice before approaching the publisher can help determine the most effective response.
Defamation and malicious falsehood claims are generally subject to a one-year limitation period, although the position can be fact-specific. Businesses should therefore avoid allowing a serious publication dispute to drift without advice.
How can our business defamation solicitors help?
Depending on the circumstances, Nath Solicitors may:
- assess whether the publication may support a defamation or malicious falsehood claim;
- examine evidence of serious financial loss;
- preserve and analyse online material;
- investigate the source and scale of an online campaign;
- contact publishers or those responsible for the publication;
- prepare letters of claim;
- pursue removal, correction or retraction;
- seek undertakings against repetition;
- assess complaints to platforms and website operators;
- advise on anonymous publications;
- assess whether urgent injunctive relief may be available; and
- pursue damages or other remedies through litigation where appropriate.
The Pre-Action Protocol for Media and Communications Claims applies to defamation claims and certain malicious falsehood claims arising from publications.
Many commercial reputation disputes resolve without a full trial. The appropriate route depends on the strength of the legal case, urgency, likely financial harm and the client’s commercial priorities.
Where the reputation issue forms part of a broader contractual, shareholder or corporate dispute, our commercial litigation solicitors can advise on the wider commercial issues.
Responding to a business defamation claim
Nath Solicitors also advises businesses accused of publishing defamatory or commercially damaging statements.
Receiving a letter of claim does not establish liability.
A response should take account of the words actually published, their meaning and context, the evidence supporting the publication, serious harm or financial loss and any potentially applicable defence.
A business may need advice after commenting publicly about a competitor, customer, supplier or former commercial partner. The reputation dispute may also need to be managed alongside an existing contractual or commercial dispute.
Early assessment can help identify whether the allegation should be defended, corrected, withdrawn or resolved through negotiation.
Our experience protecting commercial reputations
Nath Solicitors has more than 30 years of litigation and advisory experience, with Director Shubha Nath overseeing major matters.
Our published work includes acting for the owner of a business targeted through fake Google reviews posted by a competitor. Nath Solicitors approached Google concerning the false publications and secured their removal.
We have acted for a professional and business facing false Google and Trustpilot reviews published through multiple false identities. Following detailed legal correspondence, the offending reviews were deleted.
Our experience also includes a hospitality business targeted by a former customer through a wider campaign of false allegations. Legal intervention resulted in defamatory posts being removed and the conduct stopping.
In another published matter, Nath Solicitors acted for a senior international executive facing a coordinated online campaign involving accusations of financial impropriety, regulatory breaches and criminal conduct. The firm obtained an urgent interim High Court injunction, with the proceedings later resolving through a confidential settlement involving damages, an apology and retraction, and legal costs.
These matters demonstrate the different forms commercial reputation disputes can take, from isolated false reviews to coordinated campaigns requiring urgent court intervention.
Read more about our defamation case studies.
Why businesses instruct Nath Solicitors
Businesses and commercial clients instruct Nath Solicitors because we offer:
- more than 30 years of litigation and advisory experience;
- experience in business defamation, malicious falsehood and commercial reputation disputes;
- published experience securing removal of false Google and Trustpilot reviews;
- experience handling urgent High Court reputation matters;
- experience acting for both claimants and defendants;
- direct access to senior lawyers; and
- the reassurance of instructing an SRA-regulated boutique London law firm.
Our approach combines legal analysis with commercial judgment. We consider not only whether a publication is actionable, but how intervention may affect customers, suppliers, employees, investors and the wider reputation of the business.
The legally strongest response is not always the loudest response. Our objective is to identify the strategy most likely to protect the client’s wider commercial position.
Contact Our Business Defamation Solicitors in London
A serious commercial reputation dispute can affect revenue, customer confidence and relationships that took years to establish.
Nath Solicitors advises companies, business owners, directors and professionals facing false reviews, competitor attacks, defamatory publications and wider commercial reputation disputes.
Whether the priority is removing harmful material, stopping further publication, responding to a claim or protecting important commercial relationships, we can advise on the available legal and practical options.
To discuss your business reputation confidentially, call 020 3983 8278 or complete our online contact form.
This page contains general information about the law in England and Wales. It does not constitute legal advice in relation to any particular matter.
Reviewed by Shubha Nath, Solicitor and Director
Last reviewed: October 2026
Nath Solicitors Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. SRA number 608014.